MPs must be in Parliament for gov’t business – Owusu-Ankomah

The Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, has told MPs, who are in charge of government business, to rather come to the House in their numbers and stop urging the entire House to come and participate fully in the deliberations.

He asked the Majority to ensure that their members’ numbers soar at this time of an election period.

The MP was reacting to a statement made by the Deputy Majority Leader, Alfred Agbesi, who asked members to endeavor to attend parliamentary meetings in the chamber especially those who are no longer contesting this year’s elections. Since the resumption of Parliament, attendance has been very poor.

To this end, leadership agreed on Wednesday to urge all members to come to debate before the general elections. But Papa Owusu Ankomah told the Majority that they cannot ask the opposition, who are striving and fighting to be in power to come and do government business while their opponents campaign behind their back.

He stressed that it is the duty of the Minority to campaign against the government it considers incompetent.

Even though Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho disagreed with him, the outgoing MP argued that it is incumbent on the Majority to speak to each other to fill the House rather than to persuade the Minority to be in Parliament at this crucial moment of political campaign when the Majority’s interest is to maintain their seat.